I'll Sing Along
by ctj
Summary: ""He drew gradually into a type of solemn, empty insanity. He became somewhat of a madman- his thoughts never strayed from what had happened, and what he had done…" Kevin and Julie are drawn together through sorrowful events. Kevlie. What! That's absurd!


**.:I'll Sing Along:.**

_-By TJ-_

_Ben 10 © MoA_

_I don't know you  
But I want you  
All the more for that_

_Take this sinking boat and point it home  
We've still got time  
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice  
You'll make it now_

_Falling slowly, eyes that know me  
And I can't go back_

_Falling slowly, sing your melody  
I'll sing along_

_-Falling Slowly_, Glen Hansard

…_.i…._

Whether he was standing in the pouring rain in the dead of night, the blistering heat in the climax of the day, or the torrential winds of those days spent in between, Kevin Levin was a constant silhouette against the abandoned house of Gwen Tennyson.

Passerby always wondered what drew the young man to the empty house. He would stand there with his head hung low, his hair cradling his face and his hands folded neatly behind his back. He didn't move a muscle- he was a statue against the day, and in a busy world, he was silent and still. He would stand for hours, not moving his eyes from the house or the land around it. Occasionally, pedestrians said, he would mutter words to himself, but nobody knew exactly what he was saying.

After hours, he would finally take one last glance at the house before starting to walk away, his joints stiff from the time spent standing.

He passed years in this fashion, graduating high school and eventually leaving for college. He always returned, and whenever he had the chance, he was standing there. It became less and less often, and even though he eventually stopped coming, his thoughts always dwelled on it.

…._ii…._

Ben Tennyson's house had been abandoned since he was at the age of 16. Even though nobody lived inside, there was always somebody there keeping it in line. She kept the garden, mowed the grass, repainted the shutters when they got dull, and changed the little flag blowing out front with the holidays that came and went. She walked past it every day to make sure that it was in good condition, even in the dead of winter, drawing her pink coat tightly about her and smiling at the memories that the house brought.

Even in her melancholy state, Julie Yamamoto found happiness in simple memories.

….iii….

_Kevin descended the staircase and entered the living room of his home, falling back onto the sofa and turning on the television in search of some entertainment. Ben and Gwen had left for outer space on a mission with their grandfather days ago, and probably should have returned by now. Kevin was hoping that they would return soon- he had found a gift for Gwen, and was waiting until she came back to give it to her._

_ And the second that he turned on the television, he realized that he would be waiting for the rest of his life._

_ "An important government spacecraft was hijacked and crashed into the moon early this morning by an unknown criminal," said the news reporter. "The crew, led by Max Tennyson, was scheduled to return this afternoon. It seems, however, that the crew will not be returning at all…"_

_ Kevin's heart stopped._

_ "The criminal," the reporter continued, "dropped what seemed to be a stolen Plumber's badge. This is, without a doubt, what he was using to traverse the galaxy."_

_ Kevin grabbed the remote to turn the TV off, but the shaking of his hand caused him to drop it, and he heard only one more statement before he passed out completely._

_ "There were no survivors."_

…_.iv…._

Five years had passed since that day.

Julie had been sitting in front of the same newscast on that day. She remembered the moment when her life had suddenly changed. Moving on had become suddenly difficult for her, but not nearly as difficult as it had become for Kevin.

He drew gradually into a type of solemn, empty insanity. He became somewhat of a madman- his thoughts never strayed from what had happened, and what he had done…

His soul housed itself in the carcass of Gwen's old home. Her death had driven her family out of Bellwood, and Ben's had done likewise to his family. Kevin would have followed her to the grave if he could have, but he had his mother to look after and a world to protect. He knew his responsibility, and he would wait patiently for the day that he could join Gwen again.

Julie had graduated school and had entered college, but she was never so far that she couldn't come back and keep Ben's house nice and neat.

It was then, on a bleak winter's day with an overcast sky, that these two met up by chance.

Kevin was standing in his usual spot, his eyes on the house as usual. Julie was rushing past, trying not to look at people as she watched the pavement rush by beneath her feet. Quite by accident, she knocked into Kevin.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I thought you were a tree."

She hadn't bothered to look up, and it wasn't until she heard a gruff, forced laugh that she knew she recognized the man she had just hit.

She looked at Kevin.

He wasn't looking at her- he was looking off in the other direction. He was so still that she hadn't even noticed him, but now that she looked, she was sure that it was definitely Kevin Levin. He was wearing a long black coat, almost similar to a trench coat, with his hands hidden deep in his pockets. The wind rustled his hair back and forth like leaves on a tree.

"It's been awhile since I spoke to you, Kevin."

He turned from his spot to look at her, and his frown lightened a little.

"Julie Yamamoto."

"I haven't seen you in five years," she said. "Coincidence?"

He turned away. "Not exactly."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I've been… away."

"From here?"

"From you," he answered.

"On purpose?"

"On a mission."

"You've been deliberately avoiding me," she concluded.

"I've been avoiding everybody."

"And why would that be?"

"Take a wild guess."

Julie sighed and buried her hands farther in her pockets. She walked up and stood next to Kevin, instead of behind him.

"You know, Kevin," she said, "it's been hard for me, too."

"Then you're lucky."

"You don't have to be afraid of me."

He looked at her for the first time that day. "Your hair looks shorter," he said.

"Yours doesn't," said Julie.

"Did you cut it? It looks nice."

She smiled. "Thank you, Kevin. You've grown quite chivalrous, haven't you?"

"Don't get your hopes up. Interesting scarf you have on."

The scarf was rainbow and wound loosely around Julie's shoulders.

"I like the colors in it. I wish I could say the same for you," she said, observing Kevin's black outfit.

He smiled very slightly before turning away again.

"You can move on, you know," she said.

"You could, too."

"Nothing good comes from dwelling on the past."

"It does if it makes you happy," argued Kevin.

"But does it make _you _happy?"

"…"

"Well?"

"…no. It doesn't."

They stood in silence for a long time after that, both watching the house in front of them.

"Yeah," she finally whispered, "it makes me sad, too. But it's a happy kind of sad. It's sentiment."

Kevin sighed heavily, his face drawn into a blank expression. He'd become very good at hiding his emotions over the years, but Julie was even better at this game. She understood that if you couldn't read the expression on somebody's face, then you'd have to write one onto it.

"Kevin, you really, really loved Gwen, didn't you?"

"More than I loved life itself."

"But just think… maybe she's happy, still. She's with Ben and her grandfather, and maybe she's all right. Maybe she's waiting for you."

"No… no, she's not waiting for me. _I'm _waiting for _her_."

"What do you mean?" asked Julie.

"The mailbox," whispered Kevin.

Slowly, she stepped forward towards the mailbox. She brushed the snow off of the top and reached inside.

"Be careful," warned Kevin.

Julie pulled out a small, dried up flower and held it tenderly in her hand.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Hers," said Kevin, and his voice cracked.

"Gwen's?" asked Julie.

"I was going to give it to her," he said, "once she returned. But she never… she never came back."

The space on his face just beneath his eyes was glistening. Julie could feel her eyes begin to sting as well.

"Kevin," she said quietly. "Why can't you move on? Why is it so hard for you?"

"I- I-…"

She stepped closer and took his gloved hand in hers. He held to it tightly.

"It was my fault," he muttered.

"No it wasn't…"

"Yes it was!" he yelled suddenly, squeezing Julie's hand incredibly hard to the point where it hurt terribly. He calmed down and closed his eyes, falling silent again. Finally, Kevin continued in a whisper, "You saw the newscast. That plumber's badge… was my plumber's badge. The criminal was my old friend Argit. I gave him the ship, I gave him the badge, I gave him the coordinates of the Tennyson's fight, and I gave him their identification!"

By the end of his speech, he was yelling again. He fell to his knees weakly, dragging Julie down with him into the snow. She sat beside him, listening intently.

"I didn't know what he was going to do with it… I wasn't being responsible. I was being an idiot. I was always an idiot…"

"No. No, you weren't."

"I was, and you know I was."

"Kevin…"

He turned to face her for the second time, except his expression wasn't blank anymore. It was shining with tears, and his eyes were so written with sorrow that Julie wished for a moment that she had let his expression stay blank.

And then she realized that it was better that he was getting his emotions out. He'd held them inside for five long years. It was time that he released them.

She would help him.

"Kevin," she said softly into his ear, "you are not an idiot. You are one of the bravest men I know. One of the most loyal, caring, brave men I know. Even after she died, you've come to Gwen's house every single day. You didn't betray her. You loved her."

Kevin intertwined his fingers with Julie's and bent over lower, saying nothing. She soon found that he was sobbing heavily into the snow.

She put her arm around his shoulders and continued, "It's okay, Kevin. It's all right. You can cry. You can sing your song."

She brushed the hair from his face. "Sing your song, Kevin. You can sing as loudly and as long as you want. You can sing it to the world, Kevin, and no matter where you go, I'll sing along."

**A/N: I got this idea off of a true story concerning two people that I know… not two people that you would expect, though.**

**I've been planning it for awhile, but it didn't come out quite how I'd expected it… the original Kevlie plot was a bit more lighthearted and involved stupid BS regents exams… but whatever. **

**SO… review! Unless you want me to give your flight coordinates to Argit, that is… :D**


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